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04/24/2004 04:28:03 PM · #1 |
I dunno if you guys have been following this but a ton of people have discovered backfocus in their kit lenses (over on DPR) in the last week or two. I'd noticed all my photos were blurry but figured I was just shooting too slowly or something. Well, finally I tested it out, and there it was, severe, consistant backfocus. I took it to two local professionals with studios, and they checked it against their charts and confirmed it. I'm pretty upset. I really love the camera but the lens backfocuses like hell. In contrast, my 75-300 nikkor lens does not backfocus on the body.
At any rate, I mailed it back to onecall today for a refund. This really sucks... And I'm afraid to buy another kit anytime soon because the problem sounds so widespread. Any advice for me? Like I said I really love the camera but if the lens won't focus it's worthless to me. I'm considering just buying one from a local Wolf camera (and eating the $105 in tax!! argh) so I can just keep returning it for a new one if the lens backfocuses. But will that even work?
P.S. For reference, another guy with backfocus did some good defacto testing here: //forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1034&message=8497713.
Any advice or insights are appreciated.
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04/24/2004 04:40:24 PM · #2 |
What IS backfocus?
Kavey
(Recent D70 purchaser but haven't noticed any probs yet)
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04/24/2004 04:55:57 PM · #3 |
| Kavet , go to DPreview and check out the D70 forun. There's tons of threads on this , just don't get lost in there . Apparently it is an issue for some owners . Glad to hear yours is functioning as well as mine is . |
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04/24/2004 05:05:12 PM · #4 |
Backfocus is the autofocus adjusting the camera so that the optimal focus is always a little further from the camera than it should be, leading to consistantly soft photos.
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04/24/2004 05:19:20 PM · #5 |
Thanks, will check out the forum.
So if we've already taken a card or two of pics that ARE in sharp focus we're OK?
Maybe it's a bad batch? And the bad batch is mainly in the USA?
I dunno - sorry to hear about yours Arcy.
Message edited by author 2004-04-24 17:19:54.
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04/24/2004 06:29:03 PM · #6 |
Depends on your focal length and aperture if you'd notice it.
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04/24/2004 06:45:35 PM · #7 |
Interestingly enough, there was also a huge to-do about front/back focus issues when the 10D came out.
If you search the net, you'll find tons of pictures of rulers and focus test charts trying to prove or disprove the focus issues. One such "test page" is here.
If you want to test yourself ("you too can measurebate!"), this page has some useful info on printing your own "test target". (Make sure you use the "improved" test chart with the "flip up" focus target.)
Also, it is probably worth noting that although the 10D/300D have the red "focus squares" in the viewfinder, the actual size of the focusing sensors does not correspond exactly to those boxes. This means that it is possible for these cameras to focus on something "outside of the box", resulting in what the photographer thinks is an "out of focus" picture, even though the camera focused properly. (See this diagram for details. Note that the center sensor is the only cross sensor; the rest are only sensitive to horizontal or vertical patterns.) No clue how the D70 compares in that regard, but just thought I'd mention it.
Message edited by author 2004-04-24 18:55:14. |
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04/24/2004 07:16:46 PM · #8 |
if you manually focus it wont be an issue. |
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04/24/2004 09:57:47 PM · #9 |
Originally posted by soup:
if you manually focus it wont be an issue. |
Exactly. That's what I do most of the time, anyway.
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04/24/2004 11:26:56 PM · #10 |
I wouldn't through the D70 out because of the focus. When I got my D100, I later bought a used 24-120 Nikor lens. I bought this as my Dad had one which was laser sharp.
This one however, was not. I had backfocus problems and drove me nuts! I traded it back in and bought a new Nikor 24-80 and it is great.
There are some issues with lens, but it typically is not the camera.
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04/25/2004 06:02:37 AM · #11 |
All very interesting... we'll try and check ours out before we leave on the big trip... thanks for the heads up.
Manual focusing isn't really a solution IF this is a genuine problem. People don't pay that kind of money for a camera only to be unable to use a main feature such as autofocusing.
That said, I'm sure ours is fine, but will spend more time checking, using each lens, and see what we think.
There's no way I'm creating test screens etc though! Uugh!
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04/25/2004 06:19:45 AM · #12 |
| There were some cameras that were sent back because the sensor was out of line , there also seems to be alot of user error involved .This is not a simple subject with a simple solution , some cameras are legitimately defective , most aren't .This subject is deep as a well on DPreview and quite controversal as well . Kavey ,I'm sure you would have noticed by now , don't let this ruin your vacation . |
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04/25/2004 10:09:12 AM · #13 |
Originally posted by Kavey:
Manual focusing isn't really a solution |
I agree. Personally, I find it very difficult to achieve better focus than the auto-focus of the 10D, especially at shallow DOF's. (And my eyesight is 20/20 with my contacts.) |
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